About this project

$6,200

pledged of $6,000 goal

117

backers

INTRODUCTION

Salome MC is known as Iran's first female rapper. She grew up in Tehran, Iran and as a teenager got involved in graffiti then rap as a way to communicate. After some time the urban life started to put a strain on her, emphasized by struggles in her personal relationships. The chaos that occurred in the post election fall out of 2009 was the last straw, convincing her that it would be best to leave and find her utopia somewhere else. Salome ended up in a small city in Japan, where she found her peace - which is also what her name, Salome, means. Living in Japan now she is involved in fine arts in contemporary forms, while still continuing Hip-Hop as a means to share her experiences.

I'm Sahar Sarshar, a filmmaker who got in touch with Salome in March of this year. I asked if she would be interested in me filming a documentary about her. She requested that we first get to know each other further. And in these past few months we have communicated back and forth getting to know each other as artists, collaborators, and friends. We finally decided it was time to work together to make not only a documentary but also a music video for her song: "Price Of Freedom" from her latest album: "I Officially Exist".

Salome is a true underground artist with an inspiring story to tell that her fans in Iran have been eagerly waiting for. So to fund both projects we decided that our best approach would be crowd funding. This way it will be an bigger collaborative process than we ever imagined. Our budget is small but our ideas on this project are large. So to all hip hop, music and art lovers, please join us in creating a project that we can all be moved and proud of. We have some wonderful rewards in exchange and are excited for you to join in this process with us!

THE MUSIC VIDEO

To create the music video, PRICE OF FREEDOM, we will be filming the in Japan, America, and Iran. The video from Iran will be filmed by the Iranian audience who will send us video of street life, street art, daily life, parks, cafes, themselves (if they want) etc. In America and the rest of the world, we will also ask for footage. The song, PRICE OF FREEDOM, is about Salome's struggles with society when she lived in Iran, and how she freed herself from societies burden little by little. But with this kind of freedom, there are prices that you have to pay. The song explains how the prices you have to pay for freedom are worth it. Since the song is very urban, both in the lyrics and the way it is produced, we will be filming Salome in an urban setting in Japan - as well as incorporating the urban footage from the audience in Iran and all over the world. This song also features another rapper, SplytSecond- who will be filmed in the USA - as he is based there.

THE DOCUMENTARY

The documentary, SALOME'S TALE, will be a profile piece about Salome's life - starting from Iran, where she grew up. She is known as Iran's first female rapper. And she was also the first female there to begin in graffiti. There are a lot of political thoughts about Iran, Iranians, and Salome, and even though she experienced the 2009 Post Election fall out in Iran, it wasn't just politics that made Salome change her life. She also grew tired of the urban life and along with other struggles, she knew it was time for a change. She now lives in a small town in Japan where she has changed her life drastically. The documentary will follow her as she goes through school, works on her art, and also attends some spiritual retreats in Japan. But we will also bring up the past in Iran and her rap - which she continues to work on. Salome's songs and lyrics are very inspiring to many Iranians. It is time for more of the world to know about what she has learned from her struggles and how she works to keep peace.

The production of both projects will last three weeks. One week in the US, and two weeks in Japan. Post-production should last about a month or two. We hope to have both finished by December 2013 / January 2014.

IN THE PRESS

VIDEOS

FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHY

Sahar Sarshar is a filmmaker, video journalist, and visual story teller.

Sahar received a Master of Arts in Film and Video at Emerson College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at George Mason University.

Telling other people's stories is not only a joy for Sahar but a huge responsibility. Her visual stories tend to be more personal and her philosophy is that she is just there to connect the audience to the subject of the documentary - nothing more.

In 2012, with this philosophy and background in mind, Sahar decided to create ZirZameen, a Persian and English series of short documentaries on underground artists and activists around the world. Her work as Executive Producer, Director, and Filmmaker of ZirZameen has received national and international attention. Sahar gained national attention for encouraging Iranians to join the Harlem Shake craze (MSNBC) and international attention when she received an exclusive interview with an underground rap group still residing in Iran.

Salome's Tale (the documentary) and Price of Freedom (a music video) is her next passion and venture, as she begins to collaborate with someone whom she not only admires but calls a friend.

Risks and challenges

Since Salome and Sahar will be collaborating on both the documentary and especially the music video, they will have some creative differences that they're excited to face. It is through working and collaborating with other artists that you learn and grow.

Most of Salome's story takes part in Iran and there isn't any saved footage of her there, we also face the challenge of telling that aspect of her story. We also have a grand idea for the music video, that we want audience participation in, that may face some challenges as well.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

An hour long photo shoot of you and/or your loved ones - photographed by Sahar Sarshar (please contact before pledging if travel costs will be needed) + Thank you credit in documentary + DVD copy of "Salome's Tale" documentary and "Price of Freedom" music video

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

A short video (3-5 mins) produced, filmed, edited by Sahar Sarshar for your organization (please contact before pledging if travel costs will be needed) + Thank you credit in documentary + DVD copy of "Salome's Tale" documentary and "Price of Freedom" music video